Family Insider

As a young girl growing up in Miami, I used to ride my bike everywhere, from Matheson Hammock Park to Parrot Jungle. The cool thing is, now that I’m all grown up (sort of), I can take my kids to see many of the same fantastic places. And that’s what we did today!

 

Matheson Hammock Park is one the best places in Miami to enjoy a skyline view. It’s also the perfect beach for families. They have an atoll pool, which is a big lagoon, where the water is constantly flushed in and out with the tides of Biscayne Bay. The water is warm, inviting and ideal for little ones to play in the shallows. There are also plenty of swaying palm trees and you can watch boats, big and small, make their way in and out of the adjacent marina.

Food (hotdogs, chips…the usual) can be purchased at the snack bar built right into a coral rock building. At night, this beautiful coral building is home to the Red Fish Grill, an upscale restaurant with excellent seafood and postcard-perfect views. You may want to find a sitter for your children and come enjoy Redfish Grill as an adult – it’s ultra-romantic with twinkling lights in the towering palms and the skyline view at night is unforgettable.,

 

My boys had a great time looking for fish, crabs, and other sea life along the rocks of Biscayne Bay. They also enjoyed watching the hoards of kite surfers. We must have counted 35 in the air at once. In the photos, you can see all the colorful sails in the air. It was amazing and quite the spectacle! The highlight of the day, however, was spotting a family of raccoons peaking out of the mangroves on our drive out of the park.

 

One more thing: If you’ve got comfortable shoes, take a long walk down the bike trails through the mangrove trees – or if you’ve got bikes, go for it! Don’t forget the mosquito repellent; the ‘skeeters’ can be ferocious on those trails. Enjoy!